The Center for Balance and Mobility

Offering comprehensive evaluation and treatment of balance and equilibrium disorders.

Download a printable PDF on our uniquely comprehensive Center For Balance and Mobility.

Did you know?
● 1 of 3 adults aged 65 and older suffer a fall each year.
● Every 17 seconds, an older adult will be treated in the ER for injuries sustained in a fall.
● Every 30 minutes, an older adult will die from injuries sustained in a fall.
● 65% of people over 65 years old report balance problems.
● More than 11 million physician visits each year involve a complaint of balance.
● Signs of a concussion may take days to reveal themselves and often are only detected with specialized balance or memory testing.

Computerized Dynamic Posturography is recognized as the most effective assessment tool for dizziness and balance disorders.It is the only comprehensive way to functionally evaluate all your balance systems, and it is covered by most insurance carriers, including Medicare.

Why MidHudson Regional Hospital?
Introducing the Therapy Connection Center for Balance & Mobility, the mid-Hudson region’s most technologically advanced provider of evaluation and treatment services for balance and dizziness problems. The Center offers uniquely comprehensive and effective care suited to the needs of each individual, including individuals at risk for falls and student athletes who have experienced head injuries.

How do we maintain our balance?
Balance is a complex process that depends on three major components:

1) Our sensory system, which gives us information about our surrounding environment
2) Our motor system, which helps us coordinate motion and balance
3) Our brain, which integrates sensory and motor inputs so we can adjust to changes in our surroundings as we move. To illustrate, we rely on our eyes to tell us if our surroundings are moving, and we use the sensation in our feet to tell us if we are on an unsteady or moving surface.

When we age or suffer an injury, these systems do not work as effectively as before. We may notice less steadiness in our posture or gait, feel less confident, and become less active and mobile. These adjustments often make the problem worse.

How your balance is evaluated
The Center for Balance and Mobility at MidHudson Regional Hospital identifies the causes of vertigo and balance impairments using a series of tests:

• Sensory impairment is evaluated using Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP). CDP tests postural stability in a controlled environment.
• Dynamic Vision Impairment Evaluation, including Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) and Gaze Stabilization Test (GST).
• Autonomic Motor Impairment Evaluation using two different tests; Motor Control Test & Adaptation Test. They evaluate an individual’s ability to sense and react quickly to unanticipated surface changes, often before symptoms are present.
• Voluntary Motor Impairment Evaluation using three different tests; Limits of Stability, Rhythmic Weight Shift, & Weight Bearing Squat. Together they evaluate an individual’s directional control; weight bearing symmetry; ability to shift weight; and ability to react quickly.
• Evaluation for vertigo is completed using specific postural maneuvers (canalith repositioning) designed to reproduce vertigo. Positional dizziness is most commonly a result of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
• Evaluation for concussion or head injury using Sensory Organization Testing. Lingering effects of even a simple concussion or head injury are evaluated, providing an objective basis for recommendations for returning to work or participation in athletics.

What treatments and training are available?
Based on the evaluation results, a customized therapy program is designed to target identified sensory, visual, or vestibular problems. Using CDP, visual biofeedback maximizes learning and adaptation, allowing patients to identify and adjust balance responses in ways traditional approaches cannot. The training sessions allow both the patient and the balance specialist to objectively monitor progress and make adjustments. Recommendations for lifestyle modifications may also be provided. Treatment sessions are designed to be tolerated by all ages and at all functioning levels. Both athletes and the frail can be trained equally well to address the impairments that are identified.

How can you begin receiving help from the Center for Balance and Mobility?
Speak with your doctor about your balance problems or dizziness and request a referral to the Center for a balance evaluation. Most health plans, including Medicare, Medicaid, and NYS Workers Compensation, cover these specialized tests and treatment.

What can you expect when you come to the Center for Balance and Mobility?
A specially trained clinician will use computerized testing, including CDP, to identify underlying impairments and functional limitations. A detailed report will be sent back to your referring doctor along with recommendations for treatment. By accurately identifying your underlying sensory, motor, and vestibular impairments, treatments can be designed to significantly improve your functioning. We will also work closely with you and your physician if further testing or coordination with other health care providers is needed.

Who should you call for an appointment or if you have any questions?
Call the Center for Balance and Mobility at (845) 431-8159 to make an appointment. You may also ask to speak with one of our balance specialists with any questions.

Balance Self Test
If you answer yes to any of these questions, you could be at risk for a fall.
(readers check a “yes” or “no” box for the following questions)

1) Have you fallen more than once in the past year?

2) Do you take medicine for two or more of the following: heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, anxiety, or depression?

3) Do you feel dizzy or unsteady making sudden movements such as turning quickly or bending forward?

4) Do you have blackouts, dizzy spells, or seizures?

5) Have you suffered a stroke or other neurologic problem that has affected your balance?

6) Do you experience numbness or loss of sensation in your legs and/or feet?

7) Do you use a cane, walker or wheelchair to get around?

8) Are you inactive? (answer yes if you do not participate in regular exercise such as walking 20-30 min at least three times per week)

9) Do you feel unsteady when walking or climbing stairs?

10) Do you have difficulty sitting down or rising from a seated or lying down position?